Windows Embedded Standard 2009 CTP supports Intel’s Atom CPU

The first Community Technology Preview (CTP) of Windows Embedded Standard 2009 …

Windows Embedded is the species of Windows operating systems that are built to run on hardware such as minimalist computers and control devices. Windows Embedded Standard is the flavor that is expected to succeed Windows XP Embedded and provide OEMs with the ability to build devices that work better with existing enterprise infrastructures. Microsoft has now released the first Community Technology Preview (CTP) of Windows Embedded Standard 2009 on Microsoft Connect.

The CTP includes technologies found on the latest client versions of Windows: Microsoft Silverlight, Internet Explorer 7, Windows Media Player 11, Remote Desktop Protocol 6.1, Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5, and Network Access Protection. The new version also includes componentized drivers for Intel's latest x86 processors, which Doug Davis, General Manager of Embedded and Communications Group at Intel, highlighted in a statement:

Including Intel’s drivers, like those for the new Intel® Atom™ Processor, in Windows Embedded Standard saves developers time otherwise required to validate and incorporate them into their designs. This development approach can save up to weeks in getting a product on the shelves.

If you're interested in Windows Embedded Standard 2009, you may want to register for the virtual launch that Microsoft has set up. According to the vague Windows Embedded roadmap Microsoft laid out in mid-April, the final version of Windows Embedded Standard 2009 was expected to arrive sometime in 2008, but today the company narrowed the timeframe down to the fourth quarter of 2008.